Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 6251
NGC 6251 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Ursa Minor, 345.2 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ursa Minor |
| Distance | 345.2 million light-years (105.83 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 182,600 light-years · 2.1 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.93 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.19 |
| Luminosity | 6.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 16h 32m 31.8s |
| Declination (J2000) | +82° 32′ 16″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.19. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 7° S. North of latitude 7° N it never sets.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 345 million years ago. At that time complex animals were spreading through the seas and over the land; there were no dinosaurs yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 6,123.1 billion years.